1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to locking mechanisms, and more specifically relates to locking latches for a door.
2. Related Art
Doors may be locked in a variety of ways, for example, using a dead bolt lock or a locking handle that prohibits the handle and a live bolt actuated by the handle from moving. Dead bolts are typically actuated with a key or thumb turn on an interior side of the door, and are actuated with a key or are inaccessible on an exterior side of the door. A locking handle typically includes a locking mechanism built into the handle, such as a key cylinder, push button lock, or thumb turn lock that prevents the handle and the live bolt from moving. One locking handle design that is typically used for interior doors is a generally cylindrical shaped handle that pushes in and twists into a locked position, and then must be pushed in and twisted in the reverse direction to unlock the handle.
Known locking handle designs are often complex and require many parts that may be difficult to assembly and costly to manufacture. Further, known locking handle designs are often cumbersome to use and can become difficult to actuate after prolonged use. Also, with some locking handle designs it may be unclear whether the handle is in a locked position because the handle may be able to rotate when in the locked position, or the locking mechanism does not visually appear to be locked when in a locked position.